Young rugby players in the Western Isles are now prepared for all weathers following a £3,000 donation from a community wind farm charity.
Junior members of the Stornoway Rugby Football Club have all been issued with branded weatherproof training tops, with each one suitable for both training or for casual wear.
The club purchased a total of 85 tops following the generous donation from Point and Sandwick Trust, helping to further a sense of team spirit and club pride among members.
Iain GG Campbell, Stornoway Rugby Football Club Coach Development Manager, said the club was incredibly grateful for the donation.
He said: “The tops are weatherproof and hard-wearing. They can wear them for training and it will keep them relatively warm. That’s the main reason for getting them, particularly for the primary-aged children. They’d turn up for training afternoons in the middle of winter and be wearing their school sweatshirts or a football top or even a t-shirt and be shivering away. Or even the other way, they’d wear a big parka to keep them warm and that’s totally impractical for training.”
The tops are all made from technical fabric and all feature a quarter zip, as well as proudly bearing the logos of both Stornoway Rugby Football Club and Point and Sandwick Trust.
Point and Sandwick Trust chair Norman Mackenzie said: “Rugby on the island is growing as a sport and the new tops will serve to develop a feeling of belonging and the team spirit among the young players. And perhaps, when they are seen wearing them, other non-rugby playing friends may be encouraged to get involved.
“It’s really about identity for the kids themselves and their sense of identity with their team.”